SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Women's Basketball Team (5-1, 5-1 NSIC), which has opened the season with five wins in six games and leads the NSIC South, will face preseason NSIC South Division favorite Minnesota State, Mankato  St. Paul (4-4, 3-3 NSIC) in a key NSIC South match up at the Stewart Center at 4 pm on Sunday, Jan. 31. Both teams are coming off 1-1 weekends on Jan. 22-23.

USF and Minnesota State will meet for 17th time

USF and Minnesota State will meet for the 17th time with the Cougars holding an 11-5 edge.  The Cougars opened the season on the road with two wins over Upper Iowa and home wins against Winona State before splitting two games on the road at Concordia, St. Paul.
 

After a 5-1 start, USF is ranked sixth in the D2SIDA Central Regional Poll. Last weekend, the Cougars split on the road to Concordia St. Paul as they won 83-68 and lost, 63-50. Anna Brecht had 20 points in the win and led USF with 14 in the loss. The Cougars stand 5-1 in the league and 5-1 in the South as they own first place - two games up on MSU.

Breaking down between Mavs and Coo

As these two teams meet for 17th time, they both score at a decent clip and defend. Matching it up in league stats, USF is fourth at 74.2 ppg and MSU is third at 74.4 points per game. While USF has a 7.3 scoring margin, MSU is at 0.3 for 8th. USF also has an 8.2 rebound margin which ranks second in the lead while MSU is at -0.4 for 10th in the NSIC. USF is averaging just about three more triples per game (8.2-to-5.3). While USF is hitting 78 percent from the foul line for fourth in the NSIC, MSU is 16th at 65.1. The Mavericks lead the NSIC in turnover margin at 8.13 and in steals with 12.25 per game. USF is sixth in steals at 8.33 per game and fourth in blocks at 3.83.

Player Notes - Goodhope averaging 11.8; Brecht 2nd in NSIC in scoring & Hoskinson leads NSIC in boards

Twice in her career, including on Jan. 18 of 2021, Anna Goodhope has been named  the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) South Player of the Week. Goodhope helped guide the Cougars to a 2-0 weekend against Winona State. Goodhope, who prepped at Sioux Falls Washington, averaged 18 points, hit 56 percent from the field, and grabbing seven rebounds per game in playing 63 combined minutes against WSU this past weekend.  In a 67-61 win over WSU on Saturday, Jan. 16, she had 16 points and six rebounds with three assists. Then she scored 20 points with eight rebounds, assist and a steal in a 73-67 win. Goodhope, who also earned the NSIC Player of the Week honors on Nov. 19, 2019, is averaging 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for USF. Goodhope, who is 12-of-18 for 66.7 percent from three-point range, owns 89 threes at USF in her career with 109 total (20 at NDSU). She has 28 double-digit games at USF and 31 in her career. In that total, Goodhope has seven 20-point games and three double doubles.

Anna Brecht, a 6-0 transfer from Wisconsin/Green Bay and former Sioux Falls, S.D., native, has opened her career by averaging 18.7  points - 2nd in the NSIC - and 6.2 rebounds. Brecht has six straight double-digit games with 20 points or more three times. She set a career-high with 22 points against Winona State on Jan. 17. Brecht has nine double-digit games in her career. 

Freshman Megan Fannin broke out with a big game in the opener. She had 20 points in 26 minutes, adding four rebounds, four assists and a steal in an 86-66 win over Upper Iowa. Fannin, originally of Watertown, S.D., hit 7-of-10 field goals and 4-of-5 from three-point range in that win over UIU. Through five games, including three starts, she is averaging 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds. 

Junior guard Dallie Hoskinson, a 5-6 junior transfer from Johnson City Community College, leads the NSIC in rebounding at 9.5 per game. Hoskinson, who scores 7.7 points per game, has recorded double-digit rebounds in four of six games (15, 13, 12, 11) with a high of 15 vs Upper Iowa on Jan. 9. She recorded consecutive double-digit rebounds against Winona State of 11 and 13 on Jan. 16 and 17. She had a double-digit point game against Upper Iowa in game two with 14 points. 

Senior guard Lauren Sanders, who is averaging 5.0 points per game and has made two starts in six games, hit her 100th career three against Concordia St. Paul. She hit 5-of-12 threes against Concordia St. Paul and the senior now has 101 in her career.  She has 389 career points. She has 11 career double-digit games with three of two points or more.

In making her first three starts at USF in six games, senior Amanda Dagostino has averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. In her first start, she came up big for USF.  She was 4-of-4 from the floor Jan. 9 against Upper Iowa with a career-best eight points, five rebounds and career-highs in blocks with three and assists with three. 

Sophomore Ashley Wells also had a career-best with 14 points in the win over UIU on Jan. 9. Wells, who is averaging 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds, made 4-of-5 field goals and 2-of-2 from three-point range for 14 points vs UIU. Wells has played in all six games for USF.

Senior Emily Petersen, who is averaging 4.2 points, also had a double-digit points game for USF for the first time. In the win over Winona State, she hit her first two threes with USF and had 10 points in 14 minutes. Against CSP in a 83-68 win, she hit three straight threes and finished with nine points to help the Cougars to a win. 

Krystal Carlson, a junior forward, is averaging five starts in six games and has 6.0 ppg, 3.8 rebounds and hitting 85.7 percent at the foul line. She has two double-digit scoring game on the season and 10 in her career. She is coming off a season-high 11 in a 64-50 loss to  CSP.

Junior forward Kiara James is adding 3.5 points, and 2.8 rebounds in providing critical contributions off the bench. In six games, she has one start. James has a high of seven points against Winona State on Jan. 16 and eight boards against Upper Iowa on Jan. 9. She has one double-digit game in her career.

The Cougars have been picked to finish fourth in the 2020-21 league coaches preseason poll. This season, USF has earned votes in the D2SIDA poll but is currently only ranked in the central region where it is sixth.   

MSU is directed by Head Coach Emilee Thiesse and stand 4-4

MSU, which is led by eighth-year Head Coach Emilee Thiesse, is 4-4 after a split last weekend against Southwest Minnesota State. MSU lost, 75-66, before rebounding on the second night wit ha 68-61 victory.  Senior wing Tayla Stuttley is the leading scorer for the Mavericks averaging 13.6 points per game while adding 5.4 rebounds per game. Senior forward Rachel Shumski is the second leading scorer for Minnesota State averaging13.4 points per game to go along with 7.0 boards per game which leads the Mavericks.  

USF leads MSU in all-time series, 11-5

USF  has defeated Minnesota State four straight times with MSU's later win, 61-60 at Sioux Falls on Feb. 17, 2018. USF has an 11-5 edge in the serie with nine wins in past 10 meetings. On the road, USF is 5-3 and 6-2 at home. A year ago, USF won twice,  including 91-68 on Jan. 10 at the Stewart Center as Kaely Hummel scored 27 with career-high seven threes in nine attempts.Anna Goodhope added 17. USF was 13-of-24 from 3-point land in the win. On Dec. 7, 2019 in Mankato, USF outscored MSU, 44-33, in the second half to register a 66-61 win. Augusta Thramer led USF with 20 points while Jacey Huinker had a double double of 11 points and 16 rebounds. 

In MSU's last win on Feb. 17, 2018 in Sioux Falls, Taylor Klug hit the game-winning game with one second left for a 61-60 decision. Mariah Szymanski, who scored 20 points, hit the go-ahead shot for a 60-59 lead with two second left. However, after a timeout, Klug's jumper gave the Mavs the win. 

In the first ever game in the series on Dec. 15, 2012, USF took a 77-64 win at Sioux Falls. MSU won the return matchup in Mankato, 84-67.

Game-by-Game - Series Record

 Jan. 10, 2020 @ Sioux Falls, USF 91 MSU 68

Dec. 7, 2019 @ Mankato, USF 66 MSU 61

Jan. 11, 2019 @ Mankato, USF 81 MSU 71

Dec. 8, 2018 @ Sioux Falls, USF 80 MSU 68

Feb. 17, 2018 @ Sioux Falls, MSU 61 USF 60

Jan. 19, 2018 @ Mankato USF 74 MSU 71

Feb. 18, 2017 @ Mankato, USF 75 MSU 65

Jan. 20, 2017 @ Sioux Falls, USF 84 MSU 70

Feb. 19, 2016 @ Mankato, USF 66 MSU 64

Jan. 23, 2016 @ Sioux Falls, USF 99 MSU 76

Feb. 20, 2015 @ Sioux Falls, USF 74 MSU 62

Jan. 24, 2015 @ Mankato, MSU 78 USF 72

Feb. 21, 2014 @ Sioux Falls, MSU 82 USF 72

Feb. 8, 2014 @ Mankato, MSU 79 USF 52

Feb. 22, 2013 @ Sioux Falls, USF 77 MSU 64

Dec. 14, 2012 @ Mankato, MSU 84 USF 67